You're Still Needed
by julzaibatsu
Summary: "Many may not believe they need you anymore, Lucia…but I still do." - FE Exchange fan fic request.


Late sunset fell on Castle Crimea. The skies outside made of an orange hue, the clouds and giving orang and purple tints. The castle seemed beautiful in this light and inside it wasn't too different. Many of the suns rays gave a wonderful orange tint to stained glass walls and shone through the hallways and rooms, making everything within, from halls to floors, appear golden. The sun also gave warmth to the air, which unfortunately for some rooms, made either too hot or humid. The summer this year had been far more hot and intense than most.

Intense to describe the summer of the year 648 however, certainly had a double meaning to it…

It had been two months since the Crimean Rebellion. No matter that rebels had been ordered eradicated, still, some hid deep within nearby Melior villages that had to be hunt down and killed. It was still a dark farce knowing that two months on, the Royal Knights still had to hunt down remaining rebels and give them no chance to escape, or live. Blood continued to be held in the Queen of Crimea's hands.

For the lady knight of Crimea, many bruises, marks and torturous memories remained littering her very soul…

In a sweltering, humid room, with the sun directly shining through, Lucia continuously swung her sword and stretched her arms. Such pain throbbed within them, her arms lethargic and feeling lumpy. Her thighs cried out as they strained and stretched, but she bit down on her tongue, refusing to make a cry of pain. She couldn't afford for her fellow Crimean knights and people believe what they now thought of her.

What they thought of her was not positive. The fact she'd been willing to sacrifice her life to protect her queen had been ignored. Where they once admired and adored her beauty, they now scowled and sneered at all of it being lost within one pathetic, simple week. No longer did they trust her commandership. No longer did they admire her once long flowing blue hair, or her once untouched, lithe body. This body was now littered and smeared with dirtiness to them.

When she used to walk in a room, they stopped and stared to admire her beauty. Now when she walked into the room, they stopped, stared and looked at her with disdain. It wasn't like Lucia couldn't hear the scoffs and murmurs behind her back, or see the stares of admonishment and mockery. Her closer friends in the Royal Knights whom knew her on a more personal level, would look at her with sadness and pity in their eyes, no matter that they gave her a friendly smile and pat on the back. They knew it, too.

They knew that for the first time, Lucia Delbray had fallen real and true from grace.

Her brother had often come to steady her when she limped. Often, he would plead with her to return to sit down or rest, but Lucia refused. She had to refuse; she was the older sister, she was meant to be the standing role model to him. Her goal right now, was to restore the trust, the strength, the sense of authority and respect that she once had. If she were to sit down and stop, that would only cause more weakness in their eyes.

But when she had refused, it'd only done worse for the people's thoughts of her. To them, they only saw a mere attempt for her to not collapse, to not break before them. For they, for the first time, had lost their faith and hope in her. They no longer believed in Lucia Delbray to command them, to have the skill and prowess to lead them to victory. But worst of all, they did not believe that she was fit to protect her queen and that, of all the things they had thought of her, was the one that made her heart sway off balance.

Her heartbeat rose, beginning to pound against her chest in the sweltering heat. Lucia cursed under her breath, ignoring her aggravation at these thoughts. But her sword swings were only becoming more rapid and flimsy. She was losing her memories of her skill and her movement was becoming more clumsy.

"_No, this can't happen…!" _she thought in a panic, seeing herself become worse. Now starting to feel desperate, Lucia stopped dead in her tracks, panting rapidly. Standing still, she closed her eyes, taking big breathes. She held her sword in front of her, resting the palm of her right hand against the sleek, smooth surface of Laevateinn.

"I may have lost the good luck I once had, dear Ashera…and I may be bereft of my strength and hardened defence too," she murmured, her right hand squeezing on Laevateinn really tight, "But I cannot, will not, let you take away the skills I was taught by the many teachers in my lifetime. Nor will I let you take away the agility I use to reach her in her time of need. Just watch me…"

With those words, Lucia opened her eyes with a renewed resolve in them. Once more, she started dancing around the room with Laevateinn, remembering the many movements, positions and stances that she had mesmerised, learned and practiced in her 10 years devoted to the way of the blade. For a moment, she found herself, watching as her blade curved, her feet making many turns and dance movements that no other Crimean swordsmaster had ever accomplished or done.

But then it happened…

A sudden jolt, a terrible pull of muscles in her abs and a push of pain to her stomach. She made one cry of pain. Then, a second as she fell to the left onto the brick wall ground, her left arm scraping against her. It seared her bruises, Lucia making two more cries of pain, breathing air seething through her clenched teeth. Rolling on her stomach, she forced herself to push up. Her arms shook, trembled in place. Her one open eye twitched, eyebrows furrowed. Grabbing the hilt of Laevateinn with her right hand tight, she only just noticed the massive amount of blood pouring from the palm of her hand. She had not realised she'd gripped the blade so tightly it'd cut deep into her hand. Only now did she see the blood on Laevateinn's silver surface.

To think that her own blade for the first time carried her blood on it…it was getting too much…

Digging Laevateinn into ground, she pushed herself up on one knee. Big pants were made as hot, sticky sweat dripped down from her face, her chest heaving up and down. Suddenly, she looked up, feeling not just one, but two sets of eyes on her and as she averted her open eye from the wall she was right; two Crimean Knights were starting at her from the doorway. They were staring at her with that look of pity, the look of shame and disappointment. The first one simply shook his head before both of them walked away in two, murmuring down the corridor.

She rose from her spot, waiting for the voices to disappear. Closing the door that was open, she walked towards the far left corner of the room, resting her free left hand on the wall, making a small growling sound from her grit teeth and fists trembling.

Lucia let out an estranged, angry, anguished cry…

* * *

The heat had been sweltering in this summer, Elincia had noted all too well. Hence shy she had taken to wear a light, sleeveless orange dress. Her hair was let down for the moment, with a small bundle of it held in a bun. She had let it down after all the sweat had made it sticky and in hope of some cool air to rush through it, but that did not come. No, it was only warm air and that made the castle unpleasantly humid and sticky, much to her dismay.

She had only recently changed into her light summer clothes. All day, she had to wear her standard queenly clothes to the formal meetings and occasions she faced every day. It had been dreadful, no matter that she had been wearing white. It had been so hard for Elincia to restrain herself from rolling up her sleeves right there and then, regardless of the formality she needed to show her Crimean nobles. Oh, was she ever so relieved that she could be more flexible and free now from at least that…

There were many other things she wanted to be relieved from. Like the blood continuously spilling on her hands from trying to search out the remaining Crimean rebels. It was a horrible thing to do, but it had to be done. She had learned too much to let them go now. She had learned too much to let _anyone_ get out of her grasp now.

As she turned the corner into the second floor corridor, she saw two soldiers standing together, staring into a room. She couldn't see the expressions on their faces as the helmets obscured it, but one shook their head before they walked off, murmuring. Both curiosity and suspicion etched at her. Elincia had always been a curious little girl, so this came naturally to her.

What was not natural though, was a sudden anguished cry which she recognised to belong to a very well loved person…

A mortified expression fell on Elincia's face. A sword clatter and another, yet shorter, angry cry caused Elincia to immediately run forward towards the room the men had been staring at. But yet, she caught herself just before the closed door, steadying herself. Slowly turning the handle and peering in, a sight befell on her that stirred even greater terror within.

It was Lucia. She had slumped to the floor in the far right corner of the room, leaning against the back wall on her right arm. She looked awful, terrible and in a state that she had not seen her before which she wished wouldn't happen, but yet, it had…

"Lucia…!" she shut the door tight behind her, snatching the key off the table on the side and locking themselves in. No more soldiers would dare look at her lady knight with disdain and pity today. She ran over to her lady knight's side and up close, it was worse than she imagined. Lucia was so hot and sticky everywhere, Elincia swore she was feverish. To even greater fright, her right hand was bleeding. She took her hand, looking at it before looking at her.

"What did you do…?" she asked, her voice a whisper as she grabbed her wrist. But Lucia simply did not reply. Instead, a stray tear had fallen from her open eye.

No…she couldn't be crying. Lucia…she refused to cry. She never let herself cry this easily. The last time she had cried, was three years ago, when she had cried for forgiveness for making the rash, almost heartless decision of leaving her brother to die to Daein forces.

"Let me fix that…" Elincia murmured, tearing off fabric from her orange dress and wrapping it around her hand.

"Don't…it's hopeless, Elincia."

Elincia stopped, her hand resting over the fabric. She looked up at Lucia, who had a faraway off glance.

"What? No…" she looked at her with disbelief.

"It…seems so." Lucia said, her eyes now looking down to her lap.

"No…no…" Elincia shook her head, mouthing it over and over. This could not be happening. Lucia could have not fallen this far. The rebellion could not have done enough damage to break her spirit. Not Lucia. Not her…

"I won't accept this...I won't. Everyone else may, but I won't." Elincia's voice broke. It couldn't be that she was the only one alone who still believed and had faith in Lucia. How could these people be so gutless? Instead of helping her, like Geoffrey, they shook their heads at her in pity, giving up on her!

"Why…" she sobbed, "Why do they do this to you…"

"I brought it on myself, Elincia…" Lucia said to her horror, "I let myself get captured. Confidence and bad judgement got the better of me and because of that…I've let myself fall to a point where I just may not recover."

"No!" Elincia cried out to her, tears brimmed, "No, I won't let you do this! I won't let you do this to yourself as your queen!"

"You may not have a choice!" Lucia could only speak so loud with her bereft strength, "I get too tired easily, Elincia…I push myself to become stronger, but I keep falling back down from the pain…"

"It's only been two months, Lucia!" Elincia exclaimed, "It's still too early for you to have entirely recovered yet. You should still be resting!"

"Tell that to every Crimean Knight and the people of Crimea who believe there's no chance I could become what I used to be." she replied, her voice harsh and with some grief.

"Who said that," Elincia spoke firmly, her eyes not leaving Lucia, "Who said that to you? You tell me. I'll find them and I'll put them in their place about what they believe about their queen's trusted advisor."

Lucia however, gave her a faint, sad smile and small glance, before looking to the wall ahead of her, a far off look coming on her again.

"They didn't need to say it to my face. I could even hear their thoughts without them speaking from their mouths with the way they look at me…" they dare stare at her lady knight like that? They dare to scandalise her, to berate and admonish her as she tried her hardest to restore what she was? Did they not realise what they had done? Or did they not even _wish_ for her to return to what she used to be?

She had been unable to do anything for her in the Crimean Rebellion, unable to help her then. She had been useless to her two months ago in that one week. But she would not be here. No, she would give her every ounce of her help. Back when they were children, Lucia had always been the first to help her. When she had fallen over and got a scrape, when she had fallen prey to a nightmare, when she had fallen to bullying, Lucia had always been the first one there to wrap her arms around her and let her sob her sorrows away.

If there were anyone she wanted to turn to tell anything, without any thought, Lucia was the first person she would go to. If she was in despair, in any upset mood or had anything hurt or saddened her in any way, Lucia always had been the first one who knew and if she was gone, Lucia was always the first one who would go looking for her.

Which was why Lucia had been the first person she'd fallen in love with…

Elincia raised her left hand and tilted Lucia's chin so she could look at her, before resting it on her right cheek. Lucia's eyes looked to her, her mouth parting open slightly if to ask a question when Elincia leaned in so intimately close that their noses and her top lip was barely touching hers.

"Many may not believe they need you anymore, Lucia…but I still do." those words whispered, she pressed her lips again hers.

The first kiss was ghost in nature, short, sweet, gentle and kind in nature. But she felt Lucia snake her left arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Elincia kissed her again, leaning forward into the kiss, this one more deep and powerful. If she could, Lucia would move her other arm, but the orange fabric on her right hand remained unfinished. Elincia moved her other hand to cup Lucia's face in the kiss, giving her some support. There was an underlying sign of her need of Lucia in the kiss, relaying the message that what she had spoken to Lucia had been true.

Elincia let out a small, moderately high pitched moan when Lucia drew her close as possible, responding eagerly in the kiss. Lucia herself also let out a short, quiet moan. It turned out Lucia had needed her too, ultimately. Of course she did; for sometimes, Lucia had turned to her for some reassurance, for some calm that needed to be stilled in her. But never had she needed her like this.

Careful not to disappoint or shock her, Elincia slowly, gently pulled away, but only inches away. A moment of silence remained between them.

"…could you finish bandaging that hand of mine now?"

The sweetest smile cross her lips at hearing this, with signs of relief hinted within it.

"Of course I can, Lucia." and so she moved her fingers back to tying around her hand. It was still bleeding quite profoundly, the orange fabric soaking with red.

"How did you even get such a deep wound…" Elincia asked her.

"I gripped the blade of my sword too tightly when thinking bad thoughts." Elincia gave her a small frown. But Lucia responded with a small smile, giving her a quick gentle kiss on her lips in response, which made Elincia understand more her thoughts of that then words could. Lucia's eyes then moved down and noticed the purple Talisman wrapped around her wrist.

"Is that…?" she moved her left hand to touch it. Elincia finished tying the knot around her hand and slid it off into Lucia's fingers.

"Geoffrey found it on one of the rebels today. He snatched it off and told him he gave a 'sound' beating." a smile crossed Lucia's lips at that, to which Elincia shared.

"Ever the protective brother." she wryly commented, Elincia letting out a short giggle. She watched as Lucia ran her fingers over the Talisman, looking at it for a moment.

"…I don't have that much luck left now." Lucia remarked quietly. Elincia opened her mouth to respond but a finger was put to her lips as Lucia gently smiled at her.

"But it's the luck I have left to hold onto. It's still the luck you've given me. Just like the faith and belief you still have in me too." Lucia once more leaned in and kissed her, this time with much love.

"Thank you for still believing in me."

"Always…" Elincia smiled at her, shifting to sit on Lucia's left and leaning against her. Lucia wrapped her arm around her waist, beginning to run her fingers through her hair.

"You were my first friend…and now my first lover. You've always been first for me, in my heart and in my thoughts. You always will be first for me, Lucia." Elincia said, sliding her arm across and gently grasping her injured right hand.

Gently, Lucia kissed her on the forehead, before replying.

"And I will always be the first to answer, my queen."

* * *

**Hooray for Julz's dodgy endings. OTL anyway, this was one of measuringlife's requests for the FE Exchange, to write a fan fiction based on the concept of 'first'. Though the themes of 'first' may seen a little bit smaller compared to other themes in this fan fic, so I'm not sure if it'd pass...but, I've always wanted to do a fan fic around some of the psycological issues and aftermath of Part 2 that Lucia would face. It also comes after a recent headcanon I made about her growth rates which my Tumblr fans would be aware of, aha. But man, I need some practice. I've been out of writing for far too long OTL.**

**Also, I've said before about respecting what people ship. Well, I'll say it again to emphasise once again. Please, no flaming or ship bashing of this. Reviews are for constructive criticism and for opinions on how the story is written, not to abuse someone for shipping something you don't like. Because hey, believe it or not, it's okay to not like things, just don't be a dick about it. Or, better yet; not everyone likes what you like and you'll just have to deal with it.**

**Ignoring that stand, I hope that I got the theme right. Though I know my writing could not compare to measured, I just wanted to fill in this request for an opportunity to write them once more and actually put another fan fic up of them after so long so badly. For L&E after all, are my OTP.**

**From Yours Truly,  
**_Archsage Julz  
_**Authoress**


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